Staples Goes Solar

Thanks to the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, the Westport Green Task Force and Club Green at Staples High School, solar panels are now featured on the school's roof.

The panels are not far from the school's edible garden, another example of the club's efforts in sustainability.

The panels were made possible because the task force and the school club worked to sign up more than 500 Westport households for the state's Clean Energy Options plan. For about the price of a couple of Starbucks drinks a month, these households have effectively taken a car off the road for nine months. 

Due to this commitment, CCEF fully paid for the set of solar panels that were installed at Staples Wednesday. CCEF also funded a similar solar project at the Westport Fire Headquarters several years ago.

The new Staples project will not only  lower the school's energy costs and result in savings year after year, but Westport will also receive software developed by the CCEF that will enhance the science curriculum and enable the panels to serve as a teaching tool for students and families.

Patch columnist David Mann contributed to this report.